Truth be told
by Hill Jo
Summary: Their relationship is perfect... or so it seems to everyone else. Troy is keeping a terrible secret and his lying will threaten to tear them apart. His past has come back to haunt him. Lying can only go so far, the truth must be told. Drama filled!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1- "Underneath it all"

"Just tell me why!" Gabriella screamed as she turned to face Troy, tears streaming down her make up smeared face.

"Why would you do something like that? I can't believe you would do this to me ...not again…Please, tell me the TRUTH. I can't stand to hear another lie come out of you." Gabriella had never been this angry before, she was shy and timid. She was usually forgiving of people, but not this time.

Troy stood motionless in front of Gabriella. His mind was searching for words to explain another one of his mess ups. Gabriella was tired of his lies, so was he. But he couldn't stop. It was as if lying was all he had, it had taken over him. It was a game to him.

"Gabriella, I-I I don't k-k-now…" Troy replied helplessly as he watched Gabriella turn and walk away.

Troy didn't even go after her. He didn't move. He couldn't think straight. All he could hear was his heart beating loudly in his ear and the sound of Gabriella's front door slamming soundly in front of him.

**5 months earlier**

_Beep BeepBeep _

"Troy! Shut that thing off..." BeepBeep "TROY!!!" screamed a voice from two doors down.

Troy slowly opened one of his eyes to reveal his alarm clock loudly beeping in his left ear and the numbers- 6:05 - presented on the screen. Groaning, he hit the snooze button, ready to sleep five more minutes when he heard a knock at his door.

"What?!?" he screeched loudly placing his head under the covers and rolling back over on his side.

"Troy! Get out of bed! You have basketball this morning…or did you possibly forget yet again?" boomed his dad from the other side of the door.

"Seemed to have slipped my extremely tired and annoyed mind…" Troy joked as he yawned.

"That's not so shocking, seeing as you get 2 hours of sleep a night due to talking on the phone all night with a certain someone, "said his dad as he opened the door and walked into the bedroom ready to physically force Troy to get out of bed.

"You were listening to my phone conversation?" Troy quickly said accusingly sitting nervously up in his bed.

"Well that got you up didn't it Sport?" his dad chuckled, sitting on Troy's bed.

Troy merely stared blankly forward at the poster of Michael Jordan on his far wall, clearly to tired to even respond.

"Right, well then, we're leaving in 10 minutes, better get a move on…" said his dad leaving the room.

Troy sat completely still in his room, imagining what his life would be like without basketball. What life would be like if he had not picked up his first basketball at age 5 and could hit any shot on his little tike's hoop, spurring his dad's obsession to get Troy into almost every basketball camp available. Troy hated basketball. He really did. He only played it because of his dad and his dreams…not his. Ever since Gabriella moved to town, it changed his whole perspective of what he wanted, what he loved. Ever since the moment they sang together he realized that he loved to sing, and basketball didn't matter anymore.

But, Troy was trapped in a world where everyone around him expected to be the next big thing, to go play college basketball and eventually the NBA. He was trapped and couldn't get out of a place where everyone's expectations of him were completely opposite of what he wanted to do with his life, and he couldn't escape it. He-

"TROY!!"

His fathers enforced tone woke Troy up from his mind wandering and caused him to quickly get out of bed, thrown on a t-shirt and grab his basketball bag and head down the stairs.

"Geez, you'd think the house was coming down," said his mother with a smile in response to Troy's thundering footsteps down the stairs. "Have fun at practice sweetie!" she said as Troy bolted towards the door, barely able to get a glimpse of him.

"Thanks mom" replied Troy looking quickly back and then rushing out the door to meet his dad waiting impatiently in the car.

"God, that was a tough practice," complained Chad as they walked out of the locker room heading towards homeroom. "Was your dad literally trying to kill us?"

"Ha, wouldn't be the first time," Troy said scoffing.

"I didn't even have time to put my special spray in my hair, now it's gonna be all poofy and frizzy!" Chad whined. Quickly realizing what he just said, he added "Umm, did I just say that out loud?"

"'fraid so, Danforth. Don't worry; I'll be our little secret," Troy said in a girly tone, winking slyly at Chad, causing him to beat Troy hard in the arm.

"I mean it, dude, seriously. Don't let it slip out…I need to put something in this little baby to keep it as amazing as it looks," placing his hands lightly on top of his hair.

"Okay, just stop while your ahead man," Troy responded slightly laughing at his friends obsession of his own hair.

Chad and Troy walked as slowly as possible to homeroom. After being with Ms. Darbus for 2 months straight working on "Twinkle Town", Troy liked to see as little of possible of her as he could.

"What do you think her outfit will look like today?" Chad said interested. "I personally hope it's the one that looks like someone drew all over her shirt with purple marker and called it fashionable…and she believed it," Chad added hopefully.

"Nahh, I hope it's the outfit where she wears the lime green shoes," Troy said. "With the shirt that says, 'Drama is not for the average person' and on the back it says, 'It's for people like me'. Love that one man. She's basically calling herself weird and saying you have to be 'different' to join Drama club."

"Well, that's definitely true. Have you seen who's in drama club? Sharpay and Ryan definitely aren't my first pick to define the 'average person'. In fact I wouldn't even call them part of the human race…more like-"

"Okay, yeah whatever Danforth." Troy said giving him a quick gland while cutting him off from another one of his rants on the Evans' twins. He could talk forever about how annoying Sharpay and Ryan are, but it doesn't change the fact that they will never ever go away.

Chad and Troy entered Ms. Darbus' classroom confidently as ever, Chad taking his usual seat next to Taylor as Troy continued across the room towards where Gabriella was seated. As usual, her head was buried in a book by some obscure author that no one would ever read except her.

"Hey beautiful," Troy whispered in Gabriella's ear as he slid smoothly into the seat next to her, adding a kiss on her cheek.

Gabriella's face lit up as she looked admiringly at her boyfriend tearing her eyes away from her book for the first time.

"Hey you, I was worried you'd be late again, giving Ms. Darbus the privilege to give you another detention" she said sincerely in her soft voice. Her hair was tied up in a loose bun, yet parts of it were falling out, landing softly on her shoulders. She hardly wore any makeup on her "comfort" days. This was one of her "comfort" days. She and Taylor would allow at least one day a week where they would wear sweat pants and t-shirts, with their hair however they wanted it. Troy didn't really understand the whole concept of why the needed to set aside a day to be comfortable, but he just took it as a girls thing. She still looked stunning.

"Yeah, Chad and I got held up at basketball. My dad was tough on us today." Troy told her with a sigh, "He's been really hard on us all lately, probably because of my lack of focus…" he finished, looking at Gabriella with a smirk.

"Hey, don't look at me. You're the one who's got focus issues." She said sweetly, looking at him with a playful smile on her face.

He loves her. He really does. He's never felt this way about any girl like he does about Gabriella. She's perfect. He can't find one flaw. She is gorgeous, sincere, honest and kind. She trusts him full-heartedly. And that's what hurts him the most.


	2. Chapter 2

**Just a note before you read**

If you're confused on the timeline of events, this is what's happening:

_The beginning scene with Gabriella and Troy fighting and screaming at each other was the following fall (Halloween to be exact) after summer and the past year (where Troy and Gabriella performed in the musical and Troy one his big match in the movie) Then it switches back to five months previous to that night, placing them in the month of may…late may, right before school was going to get out for the summer.(During the same time as the movie…the musical and basketball had just ended) If you were wondering why Troy was still playing basketball even after they won the championship, it is because his father didn't want him or the team to loose their skills and focus solely on basketball for the rest of the year. Just wanted to clear up when all this was actually happening…incase you were wondering, which you may have not been but I thought I'd clear it up anyways. Now onto the story!!_

* * *

Chapter 2: The Start of Something…New?

**Present (Halloween) **

The truth was Troy didn't know what to do. His head was spinning with memories of the past five months and all the things he had done, all the things that lead to this very moment.

_How did it get so out of hand? Why did I keep doing what I did?_ Troy asked himself, burying his face in his hands, sitting cross legged on Gabriella's lawn.

The truth was Troy didn't know. He didn't know why he kept saying the things he said, doing the things he did. He lost control of his senses, his old feelings returned, and he couldn't control them when they did. When he saw her that day…it marked the beginning.

_If only she hadn't come, if only I hadn't glanced her way…God, why was I such an idiot? Gabriella never deserved this…none of it._ Troy thought, anger filling up his slumped over body.

His mask, held tightly in his hand was squished solely from the frustration he was feeling, it was the only thing that he could grasp. It was the only thing he could hold onto. He had lost Gabriella, he couldn't hold onto her anymore.

**5 months earlier**

"So, we're going to Taylor's brother's birthday party tonight right?" Gabriella asked as she and Troy walked hand and hand out of East High. "Unless you don't want to of course…" she added quickly, looking at Troy's less than excited expression.

"What? Oh no, yeah sorry, I was zoning there for a second…yeah definitely," Troy finished looking at Gabriella's confused face.

"You okay? You look a little out of it…"

"No," Troy cut in quickly, stopping Gabriella from saying anything more. "I'm fine Gabs…I promise!"

Gabriella looked less than convinced, but pushing people into talking about things was not her trademark. Instead, she sighed loudly, causing Troy to nudge her softly, ensuring her that he was "okay".

"I'll pick you up at eight tonight, alright?" Troy said, as he kissed his girlfriend goodbye. "Don't take forever either! I know you…" he added jokingly.

"Yeah, you know me, I'm definitely the high maintenance one in the relationship…" she replied, laughing loudly at the thought of her actually taking longer to get ready than Troy. That's certainly something to laugh about.

"Yeah, you are," Troy answered teasingly, causing Gabriella to poke him in the ribs.

"Geez, you want me to not be able dance tonight? God Gabs…and everyone thinks you're so sweet…" Troy retorted sarcastically.

Gabriella giggled with delight as she hugged Troy goodbye for the second time. They never seemed to leave when they said they were going to. That's how it always was; they could talk for hours and not even realize it.

"I'll call you later!" Troy yelled across the parking lot, opening the door to his car, "I love you!"

"Love you too!" Gabriella called back, waving as he jumped into his car and sped off.

* * *

Troy walked into his house, and out of habit dropped his backpack on the floor and immediately grabbed a Dr. Pepper from the fridge. It was like an afternoon ritual. He could never go an afternoon without his Dr. Pepper and his daily dosage of Jeopardy! It was Troy's guilty pleasure. No one even knew he watched a "smart" show except for his mom, who he made swear she'd never mention it in front of Chad or his basketball friends. 

"Hey hun," called his mom from upstairs, "How was school?"

Troy replied with the usual "Good" and returned watching his "smart" show.

"Umm, your father called, he said you didn't have such a great practice today," yelled his mother again, this time making her way down the stairs into the family room where Troy was seated.

"Yeah, I guess not. But he didn't have to make all the other guys pay for it…he can be such an as-"

"Troy!"

"What? You know he can be!" Troy argued back, setting down his Dr. Pepper.

"That doesn't give you the right to call your father that!" his mother said boldly, causing Troy to back off.

"Sorry," he mumbled turning back to the television, "It's just that I get so frustrated with him…I mean who is still having his team practicing basketball in May? Some nutcase, that's who," Troy added sharply.

His mother only looked away, and made her way towards the kitchen.

"Hey, Mom? I'm going to Taylor Makessey's brother's birthday party tonight, alright?"

"Are both you and Gabriella going?" his mom asked intrigued.

"Of course Gabi's going mom, why wouldn't she go? I wouldn't go without her…"

"Okay, okay! I'm sorry I'm so stupid," she said mockingly throwing a towel at Troy, who returned the throw with one of his own.

"Never throw a towel at a woman Troy," his mom told him, while trying to keep a straight face as well as pointing her index finger towards him.

"Right Mom, I'll remember that if I ever feel the need to throw a towel at a girl…" Troy said laughing.

After a few minutes of his mother rushing around in the kitchen, she returned to the family room, sitting comfortably next to troy, placing her arm around his shoulder.  
"So hun, why were you so tired at practice today, huh?" she questioned.

"I don't know, just wasn't in it today" Troy replied watching his mothers expression as he answered her question. The look on her face told him that she didn't believe one word of it.

"What! So what if I was tired at one practice? Dad's just crazy. I practiced fine! I still played half as good as all the rest of the guys…" Troy said frustrated with his mother's inability to believe him.

"Are you sure it wasn't the fact that you were up all night talking to Gabriella on the phone?" she said narrowing her eyes onto Troy.

"What? I wasn't on the phone with Gabi last night."

"Your dad heard you Troy; he said that's why you probably were so tired today. We're probably going to have to set some limits on-"

"Mom, I swear I wasn't on the phone with-"Troy stopped in the middle of his sentence. His mind raced back to last night. How could he have forgotten?

Troy cleared his throat nervously.

"Oh yeah, you're right mom, I was on the phone with ummm, Gabi…yeah, you caught me!" he said quickly, smiling widely at his mother. "I had forgotten about that. Ha, sorry mom, it won't happen again…"

"Let's hope not, your father is not happy with you."

Shortly after, his mother got up to go start dinner, leaving Troy sitting alone.

Troy's heart raced quickly as he sat pondering last night's phone call with "Gabi".

_My parents heard that?_ He wondered rubbing his hands together nervously.

Troy leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes in the process. He shouldn't be as excited or as thrilled as he is at the thought of that phone call last night. He has a girlfriend. He has a new life. He's a new person. He has new friends, a new hobby. He doesn't need all that drama again. Yet, he couldn't pull himself away, simply letting drama quickly walk back into his life, just ask quickly as he left it.


	3. Chapter 3

_Thanks for all the reviews you guys!!! I know a lot of you are confused on whats going on with Troy at the moment, but don't worry everything will be told...eventually. :) I have a lot of stuff planned in mind, its pretty complicated, so just stick with it till the end, all the loose ends will be tied up, promise!!! Heres Chapter 3! Sorry it took me a few days to update, i've been really busy!! _

Chapter 3- Uncertainty

**Present **

Troy walked slowly down the dimly lit street, scuffing the ground with each heavy step he took. All he could think about was Gabi. Gabi was his life. Without her he was nothing. She changed him more than she could ever know, more than he ever knew until the moment he lost her. He took her for granted. He knows that he did. He regrets it. The way she admired him, the way she looked at him, the way she laughed, the way she kissed him, the person she was…he took it all for granted. She wasn't just another girl on Troy Bolton's list of "Hookups". She was different…she mattered. Gabriella lead him away from a place that he no longer wanted to be in, she changed his life forever. Now the place that she unknowingly guided him away from was exactly the thing that ruined them. It was all his fault, he could've stopped it. His past had ruined him. His past had ruined them both.

**5 months earlier**

Troy paced back and forth in his room deciding what he should wear to Brian Mckessey's birthday party. He and Brian didn't know each other that well, but what he did know was that this kid was off-the –wall crazy, and that he loves the guy, even in all his wacked up glory.

Troy chuckled at the thought of Brian and Taylor being actual siblings.

It was something that not everyone could even wrap their brain around. Brian was the polar opposite of Taylor, and thank god for that. Troy was sure having two Taylor's in the world would've made everyone else feel even worse about their far inferior accomplishments compared to Taylor Mckessey's

_And the funny thing is, Taylor knows she's amazing_, Troy thought while looking through his closet for something at least partly party appropriate.

Compared to her brother, she's the golden child of the family, and it's just the way she likes it. Troy honestly doesn't know how Chad handles to the constant pressure to live up to Taylor's expectations, but he says he loves her perfectionist nature. Troy doesn't have a clue why.

_Some kind of turn on, _Troy decided._ Yeah, that's gotta be it.._. _Well, at least Gabi isn't like that…_he thought to himself, finally pulling out a dark blue polo from his closet.

Troy takes forever to decide what to wear. Gabriella wasn't joking when she said he was the high maintenance one in the relationship. It was kind of funny actually. But Troy didn't even care. All he knew is that he likes to look nice when he goes out, even if Gabriella makes fun of him for it.

Troy looked down at his watch as he walked into the bathroom to take a final look at his long locks.

-8:35-

"Oh God, Gabriella's going to shoot me," Troy mumbled as he started to sprint down the stairs towards the front door.

"Bye, Mom! Be home at 1!" Troy shouted, shutting the door quickly behind him, not even waiting for his mother's objection to the time.

Troy whipped out his cell phone from his back pocket and immediately hit the "1" and "call" while jumping into his bright red jeep. He had gotten it for his birthday last year. It was his prized procession. His "baby" as he liked to call it.

"Hello?" said a high pitched voice on the other line.

"Oh God Gabs, I'm sorry I'm so late! I completely lost track of time…I was-"

"Troy, its fine, I know you probably had some sort of clothing crisis. It's forgivable," Gabriella teased as she laughed, obviously amused by her own joke.

"Oh come on Gabs, don't you wanna be seen with the best looking guy of the party?"

"Of course I do, that's why I don't condemn the abnormal amount of time it takes you to choose the color you are going to wear…" Gabriella replied. Troy could tell she was quite pleased with herself. This was about as "mean" Gabriella would ever get.

"Hey, watch it…"

Gabriella giggled causing him to begin to laugh at himself too. Gabriella has such an infectious laugh, he loved it.

"Alright well I'll be there soon…promise, "Troy said sincerely as he turned into Gabriella's neighborhood.

"Alrighty"

"See you soon, bye Gab" Troy replied, closing his phone and setting in on the seat next to him.

A few moments later his phone began to ring, causing Troy to pick it up again, not even looking at who it was. He had a good guess of who was on the other line.

"Hey Gab, what's up?"

The voice on the other line replied with a smokier and deeper tone than he remembered Gabriella having, causing him immediately took back his words, clearly embarrassed by his mistake.

"Oh, haha, sorry, I-I th-thought you were umm.." Troy stuttered, "Someone else."

Troy's heart was beating fast. He was nervous. The voice on the other line distant as it had been was as near as ever now.

"Can I call you back later?" Troy asked pulling into Gabriella's driveway.

"Okay yeah, bye." whispered Troy, quickly hanging up the phone as Gabriella opened his car door and jumped in.

_She looks gorgeous_, Troy thought, eyeing her curled long black hair pinned half way up, her gold glittery halter top with jeans, and her boots. Troy loved her black boots. Gabriella rarely wore anything fancy or revealing, so when she did, Troy loved to take it all in.

"Hey hun," Gabriella said excitedly, giving him a peck on the lips.

"Hey, that's all I get?" asked Troy, giving her a unsatisfied look.

"Yep, I'm afraid so. You were late remember?" Gabriella replied trying not to smile.

"Fine, whatever…I'm sorry I'm the one who has to drive us everywhere," Troy countered, eyeing Gabriella still facing the front. He loves giving her a hard time. Her eyes widened at Troy's last comment.

"Troy! You know my cars getting worked on!" Gabriella defended, giving him a glare.

"I don't know Gabs…its been a month…"

"Oh come on Troy, you have got to be kidding me!"

"Your right, I am" Troy said, laughing, turning to Gabriella.

Gabriella simply crossed her arms and pouted as if troy had truly hurt her feelings.

"Troy, that wasn't very nice. You really made me feel bad!"

"Oh come on, you know me. You get so worked up over the littlest things," Troy stated, "It's just too easy to get you to react!" Troy finished, half laughing.

Gabriella turned to him, punching him lightly in the arm.

"Luckily for you, I happen to find it completely adorable" Troy added earnestly, smiling at Gabriella.

Gabriella simply smiled shyly back, placing her hand on top of his own, which was resting on the arm rest.

As they drove down the McKessey's road, they could already hear music blaring. Brian was turning 20, so there would be a bunch of college kids there. Troy could feel Gabriella shaking slightly on top of his hand and said encouragingly, "Gabi, you'll be fine. Don't worry, it's just a party." Gabriella hated parties. It just wasn't her thing. Troy always had to calm down her nerves before anything like this.

"I know, but I'd much rather be at home curled up with a book," she replied unenthusiastically.

"Everyone will love you, who wouldn't? But I'm definitely letting all those college guys know your mine," Troy said protectively.

Gabriella smiled widely as the parked on the street in front of Taylor and Brian's house. Their parents were out of town, causing Taylor to take charge, which meant she would more than likely freaking out the whole time and not enjoying the party at all. Brian had talked her into it, and Troy had a feeling she would be regretting her brother's persuasiveness.

"So there are no parents here?" Gabriella asked nervously, eyeing the numerous cars parked outside of the Mckessey's.

"Uh, no…is that okay?" Troy asked hearing the unsure ness in Gabriella's voice.

"Umm…yeah of course," she replied non-convincingly.

"Oh Gabriella, you'll be fine…just let loose babe," Troy said kissing her on her forehead. "I know you have a wild side in there somewhere…"

"Psh, if she's in there, I have yet to find her..."

Troy laughed at her innocence. That's what he loved about her. She's so naïve, so fragile. She kept him grounded. Without her, Troy could still be the same guy he used to be.

Gripping Gabriella's hand tightly, they walked into the house together, not knowing what to expect inside.


	4. Chapter 4

_Okay, I know you are all dying to know what's going on with Mr. Troy and I assure you, you will get some info in this chapter for sure. Of course I'll have to keep some things from you, but that's how it goes…there still needs to be some drama left…okay a lot of drama ;) You could say this is the beginning of what's to come I guess. Enjoy!!! This chapter includes references to alcohol just a warning :) this is also the first time we hear Gabriella's thoughts and point of view for some of the Chapter. _

Chapter 4- It's not my party, but I'll lie if I want to

**Present**

Troy immediately took of into a sprint down Gabriella's street towards the only place he had left to go. His heart was pounding, his head was aching. Everything was a blurr as he ran down the empty road. Everyone hates him. He had screwed Gabriella over. No one trusted him. No one cared about him. They all were on Gabi's side, no one was on his.

He sped towards Huntington road and cut through the backyards until he reached the house number 1345. He knocked softly on the back door, fully aware that it was 1:30 in the morning. He called out softly, "Chad? Are you in there? Please, it's Troy...I-"

Troy saw a light turn on in the living room. Chad always slept on the couch. Troy knew he could hear him. He waited anxiously for Chad to come to the door.

He could feel himself breaking down. His insides were fading away, his eyes were filling up with tears, and his stomach was caving inward. He couldn't keep it all in anymore…he was broken. His heart was broken. Pain was all he could feel. Moments later, Chad opened the door to Troy weeping helplessly on his knees on the cold wet ground. Troy Bolton, the basketball boy, was crying.

**5 months ago**

Troy and Gabriella stepped into the Mckessey's house wearing similar expressions plastered on their faces.

Gabriella's mouth dropped as her eyes widened at the chaos taking place in the house.

Troy though less surprised, was still shocked that Taylor had let it get this out of hand. Troy had been to many parties, yet this one was by far the most out of hand. And it was only 9:30. He couldn't believe the police hadn't been thre yet.

Boys and Girls alike were wandering aimlessly around the house, crashing into walls along the way. Drunk couples were sprawled all over the living room completely unaware of were they were and what they were doing to each other.

_They probably have no idea who they are even_ _with,_ Troy thought to himself, looking disgusted as they passed the infested room.

Beer and Vodka bottles laid through out the house completely empty, which was not surprising seeing as if everyone at the party was completely wasted. Troy couldn't see a sober person in sight. Music was blaring loudly as they entered the back room, where the dancing was taking place. Half of the girls had their shirts off, as well as the guys. It was atleast 90 degress in the room. Everyone was dripping in sweat, obviously from continuous dancing through out the night. The windows were fogged up from the heat and the lights were turned almost completely off. Troy could barely see a thing.

Troy could feel Gabriella shaking in his hand. _This is crazy _he thought, looking around for someone he knew.

"There's Sharpay," Gabriella yelled up at Troy, who could barely hear her over the blaring music. He looked in the direction of her pointed finger.

"Oh God," Troy mumbled, following Gabriella who weaved her way over to the kitchen where Sharpay was bending over the sink, clearly throwing up.

"Sharpay?" Gabriella asked placing her hand on Sharpay's back.

Sharpay looked up at Gabriella wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Who are you?" Sharpay slurred, looking strangely at Gabriella, her eyes clearly out of focus and bloodshot.

Gabriella looked nervously up at Troy with her hand over her mouth, who replied "Sharpay, its Troy and Gabriella, what happened to you?"

Sharpay merely stared up at them, too intoxicated to even respond.

"Troy, I'm scared. Look at her," Gabriella stated looking at Sharpays shaking body, "She needs to get out of here."

"Alright, here I'll get her out to my car; you try and find Chad and Taylor."

"No, Troy please don't leave me here alone." Gabriella replied, the sound of fear hanging on every word.

"Gabs..."

"Troy, please. I'll just come to the car with you. I don't want to be here anyways."

"You don't have to come back with me all the way to her house Gabs, I'll make sure you find Taylor before I go, okay?"

Gabriella looked at him. She then nodded slowly, wrapping her arms around herself.

Eventually finding Taylor upstairs in her room, Troy left with Sharpay, leaving Gabriella and Taylor sitting quietly sitting on her bed alone.

"Where's Chad Tay?" Gabriella asked quietly, looking at her friend for answers.

"I don't know, I lost him in the crowd. I tried calling his cell phone, but he didn't pick up. I'm so worried about him. I can't go down there again. Its terrible…"She said trailing off, looking down at the floor. "What am I going to do Gabriella?" she whispered softly.

Gabriella simply placed her arm around her friends shoulder, thinking of how she could handle such an impossible task, even for Taylor.

"Taylor, it's really bad down there. Everyone is drunk. How did this happen?"

"I don't know!" Taylor replied starting to cry, "My parents trusted me…my stupid brother had to talk me into having this party. It's his fault. If I go to jail for this… what if the cops come?" she said emotionally pacing in her room.

"Taylor, it's your brothers responsibility now, it's out of your hands. He'll be the one in trouble."

"My brother is completely drunk Gabriella! He doesn't know what the heck is going on down there!" She screamed, her voice becoming panicky.

"Taylor…we umm…" Gabriella started, thinking of words to say to her friend, "We need to find Chad, come on."

"Gabriella are you crazy? We can't go down there! No way, I'm staying up here in my room until all of those people down there leave. Chad can come and find me."

"What if…what if something happened to him Tay?"

"Chad's fine Gabs, I know he is. He's probably dancing with some college girl right now, not even caring that I'm up here." Taylor said venomously, staring at the door.

"Oh, Taylor that's not true. He loves you. I'm sure he's worried about you to."

Gabriella was scared. She didn't like being by herself with out Troy. Both the girls were alone without anyone to protect them, they felt vulnerable.

* * *

They sat in her room for a long time, barely talking. Both were to nervous to even talk. Gabriella was worried about Troy. Why hadn't he called her? By 11 o'clock, Gabriella's phone began to ring.

"Troy?" she asked hopefully picking up her phone.

"Hey Gabs, I'm sorry it took me so long. Are you okay?" he asked sincerely, his voice concerned.

"I'm fine; we're still up in Taylor's room…where are you?"

"I'm coming back to get you. I had to make sure Sharpay was okay. She was really bad Gabs… I had to stay with her for awhile."

"I understand, I'm glad you did. Who knows what could've happened to her…" she replied quietly, looking over at Taylor lying on the ground.

"Could you take both me and Taylor back to my house?" she asked.

"Of course, I'll be there in a few minutes okay?"

"Okay, I love you Troy."

"Love you too Gabi."

She hung up her phone slowly, placing it on the bed next to her.

"Taylor?" Gabriella questioned tapping her best friend on the shoulder.

"mmm hmm?"

"We're gonna go back to my house okay? I think its best…"

"Okay," she replied sitting up from her position on the floor. "I'm worried about Chad though. Why hasn't he called me?"

"I'm sure he's fine…"said Gabriella, not even convincing herself.

A few moments later there was a knock at the door. Expecting it to be Troy she yelled, "Come in!"

The door opened not to reveal Troy, but to reveal a tall, skinny, blonde haired girl, wearing a supert short black skirt, a revealing red tank top, with heavy black eye liner and a nose ring.

"Oops," she giggled, taking a step back. "Sorry, I thought you were someone else. Where's the bathroom?" she asked slowly, clearly drunk as well.

"You're meeting someone in the bathroom?" Taylor asked clearly confused.

"Yeah, every heard of-"

"Okay, umm yeah it's down the hall…" Gabriella said quickly looking up at the girl timidly.

"Hey, do I know you?" the girl asked in a deep voice, squinting her eyes at Gabriella.

Gabriella quickly shot back, "No I doubt it, I don't hang out around drunks for fun."

Taylor gaped at Gabriella's response. It wasn't like her. Clearly Gabriella was ready to get out of here.

Luckily the girl let it slide off her back. She probably didn't even know half of what Gabriella said, and to be honest, she didn't care.

"Hmm…I could've sworn I've seen you somewhere…" She said obnoxiously, pointing her finger at Gabriella, while walking into the room. "Did we go to high school together?"

"No." Gabriella replied coldly, looking at Taylor nervously.

"Huh. I swear, I've seen you before." She said teetering around Taylor's room.

_She looks like a slut_, Gabriella thought.

"Well I've never seen you before, so if you would please leave, it would be greatly appreciated," Gabriella said sternly getting up of the ground, walking towards the girl.

"Alright, alright. I'll go. Whatever dudes, I'm out." She said moving towards the door, Gabriella following close behind.

Just then Troy came around the corner nearly bumping into the girl and Gabriella.

"Whoa sorry I-"

Troy merely stared at the girl in front of him barely able to move. His heart was leaping out of his chest, his hand quickly turned sweaty at the sight of her. Troy nervously cleared his throat.

"Umm…excuse me." He said quickly, covering his face, while pushing past her. He walked over to Gabriella giving her a hug. "Are you okay?" he whispered, his back facing the other girl.

"Troy?" the girl asked slowly, her eyes trying to focus on the boy in front of her.

_This is not happening_, Troy thought, pretending not to hear her.

"Troy! It is you!" she finally said wrapping her arms around him from behind.  
His body immediately tensed up, quickly turning around releasing her grip from him.

"Allison, what are you doing here?" he said quiet enough for only her to hear.

"I heard you were coming to…to Brian's party, " she giggled. " So I umm, I decided I'd try and come and find you!" she said falling all over Troy.

"Oh …" he said nervously looking at Gabriella's confused expression. "Do I, do I even know you?" he lied on the spot.

"What?" she asked trying to look into his eyes. "Troy, baby, we just talked-"

"No, we didn't." Troy said quickly, stopping her from finishing her sentence. "Gabi lets go. Come on Taylor." He said annoyed, grabbing Gabriella's wrist.

"Troy, you know you want me," she said seductively, "You wouldn't have-"

And with that Troy turned his back and sprinted down the stairs with Gabriella trailing behind him.

"Troy! Slow down….Stop!" she yelled as he ran out the Mckessey's front door.

"Gabi, we're going…NOW."


	5. Chapter 5

_Hey guys! Sorry it took me so long to update!!! I've been so busy lately!! I had musical auditions at my school this week so I was busy worrying and freaking out about that…haha Anyways, thanks for the reviews guys! It means a lot to me. I know a lot of you are frustrated and just want to know what's going on with Troy already. (You'll soon realize another person may have a secret as well...hmm…haha) You know I can't just come and tell you in one chapter, it has to be gradual…lol I love to torture you guys!!! Can you blame me?  Well here's the 5th chapter!! **I'm sorry this is such a short chapter too…I'll try and write an extra long one next time to make up for it!!!!!! **_

Chapter 5- I'll try and keep you my dirty little secret

**Present**

"Troy?" Chad said quietly under his breath as he walked towards his broken down friend, finding himself not knowing what to do. Chad was never good with helping people who needed help. He could never find the right words to say to make them feel better. He always messed it up, so he usually kept his mouth shut, he let the girls do the cheering up. But this time, Troy needed him. He couldn't keep his mouth shut and let other people do the good deed, no one else would. Troy was alone; he had no one to cheer him up.

"Come on…" Chad said kneeling down to the level of his friend, who looked up at him quickly wiping away the tears, clearly embarrassed.

"Troy, it's okay to cry, alright? Trust me, us guys need to cry once in awhile…" he said patting Troy lightly on the back, smirking slightly.

Troy never the less wiped away the tears on his sweatshirt, leaving wet marks on the sleeves as he stood up quickly. He couldn't let Chad see him crying like this, even if he was his best friend. Troy never cried, at least not since kindergarten. But he could feel himself breaking down again. He couldn't do this alone, he needed someone to be there for him. He was to hurt.

"Troy, listen…"

But Chad never got to finish his sentence. The next thing he knew he was embraced in a hug by none other than Troy Bolton. The two boys just stood there, hugging. There was no awkwardness, not unsure ness in Troy's action. It was what Troy needed. Chad understood it, and he let Troy hug him, who was clearly trying to hold back tears.

"I'm sorry Chad, I'm sorry for everything…"

Chad merely nodded his head, looking up into the night sky above, clearly unsure of what to do next. He was never good with this kind of stuff.

"I know dude, I know."

**4 months ago**

Three weeks had gone by since Brian Mckessey's chaotic birthday bash. Summer had begun and everything seemed to be going good, everything was normal. Gabriella and Troy had hung out a lot over the first few weeks of summer, along with Taylor and Chad by their sides. The friends seemed to act normal around each other. Yet, each of them had their own questions to ask and secrets to keep.

Absolutely nothing had been discussed about Brian's party after it happened. No one wanted to talk about it… no one dared to start something that could end up turning into World War III.

Gabriella desperately wanted to ask Troy about that girl at the party, but being Gabriella, she feared he would get defensive and not want to talk about it…turning into a fight. She swallowed her suspicions and questions, causing her to be distant from Troy.

Taylor also had her own concerns about where Chad was through out the party. Yet after the fist time she asked him where he had been, he immediately shut down the idea of asking him and changed the subject. She hadn't attempted to bring it up with him since.

Troy feared Gabriella was suspicious, putting him constantly on edge, never knowing when she would bring "her" up. He was constantly nervous; he didn't know what to do.

Chad was feeling guilty about his actions at Brian's. He hadn't called Taylor on purpose. Had he meant to lose her at the party on purpose as well? Chad's unsure ness and questioning led him to be defensive, causing Taylor to become worried.

The four friends were distant. The tension was all around them. That night was supposed to be the best party of their lives, their first real college party. None of them were sure they ever wanted it to happen.

* * *

Troy laid on his bed flicking through the channels, clearly bored out of his mind. It was a beautiful day outside and here he was sitting in his house with nothing to do.

"Wow, I obviously have no life…if I'm sitting here watching 'Sponge bob Square pants' at the three in the afternoon" he said, look outside of his window, sighing.

A few moments later his phone rang loudly, startling him. He expected it to be Gabriella, asking him to do something tonight.

"Just what I need, another awkward night with Gabi…" he stated, walking slowly over to grab his phone of his desk. Quickly looking down, the phone number on the screen instantly brought a smile to his face.

"Hey Allison," Troy said excitedly, leaping onto his bed, resting his hand behind his head.

"Hey Troy…whatcha doin?"

"Absolutely nothing, I'm glad you called. We haven't talked since-"

"Yeah, umm…sorry about that. I was drunk, I had no idea what I was doing."

"It's okay Al," Troy said sincerely, thinking carefully on what to say next. "Listen, I'm umm…I'm sorry I had to say I didn't know who you were, but with Gabriella there…well I just didn't want to go into explaining stuff."

"I understand, its okay, I wouldn't want to go into explaining us either" she said laughing nervously.

"Us? Nahh, we aren't that complicated or anything…" Troy said sarcastically with a smile on his face.

He heard Allison laugh on the other end of the line, clearly amused by how crazy their relationship has been.

"I can't believe it's been 3 years…" she said quietly.

"I know…" Troy said thinking back on his past. His heart began to beat faster. _What was he doing?_

"Yeah," she replied, clearing her throat. "Umm…so you wanna hang out tonight? I really want to see you…well sober," she added chuckling.

"Umm..." Troy replied, clearly thinking of what to do. He had been the good boy for awhile now; he had lived within the boundaries his parents set for him. He was a good son.he follwed the rules. Now, he wanted to take a chance again. He was due for one.

"Alright, yeah sure. We've been talking on the phone forever now, but we haven't actually got to see eachother… well properly yet." He said, his breathing quickening.

"Well, you weren't sure because of your little girlfriend," she added accusingly.

"Whatever, just meet me 8 o'clock at Tony's on 87th okay?"

"Alright," she said, letting go of the subject of Gabriella.

"Bye," Troy said quickly, dropping the phone to his side. Troy immediately stood up, realizing what he just agreed to.

_What am I doing?_ He thought pacing his room, clearly in a state of panic. _Why did I__agree to meet her? I already feel guilty enough talking on the phone with her. But, I want to see her…I-I've missed her…_Troy thought, thinking about his past.

He knew it was wrong. He knew he shouldn't do it. He'd get wrapped up in it again... just like he did before.

_I love Gabriella though_, he told himself convincingly_. We're just catching up…yeah, just old friends catching up…nothing more…_

Troy knew Gabriella trusted him. He knew she loved him more than she had every loved anyone else. He can't lie to her. He'll never lie to her. If she asks him about Allison directly he'll tell her…she just hasn't brought it up yet, he would tell-

His phone began to ring again, causing him to break his chain of thought and rushed across the room to his phone.

"Hello?" he said his voice shaking slightly.

"Hey Troy," a high perky voice said on the other line.

"Oh, hey Gabs, how are you?"

"I'm good, wanna do something tonight? Just the two of us? I was hoping we could…umm…talk." she said unsurely.

Troy's heart began to beat fast, his mouth became dry. _Oh shit,_ he thought, starting to pace his room again.

"Umm…" he said, buying himself some time, rubbing his hands over his eyes. "I'm actually…uh, not feeling to well. I have a really high fever," he said fake coughing.

"Oh Troy, I'm sorry! Do you want me to bring you something over?"

"No!" Troy said loudly. Realizing his attack on her, he calmly added, "It's okay Gabs, I don't want you to get sick either. It's really contagious…"

"Oh," she said, disappointment clearly in her voice.

Troy felt awful. He can't believe he just lied to Gabriella. Didn't he just say he loved her? Didn't he just say he would never lie to her?

"Yeah, I'm sorry Gabi, we will definitely do something tomorrow okay babe? Hopefully I'll feel better by then," he said all in one breath, clearly anxious to get off the phone.

"Okay…well, feel better hun." She said sadly.

_Oh God, this is making me feel worse…_

"Okay, thanks Gabs. I'll call you tomorrow okay?"

"Alright, talk to you later."

"Okay."

"I-I Love you Troy…"

Troy paused slightly before saying, "I love you too Gabi."


End file.
